Dialogue! Finally!
Edited to add: WordPress’s suggested tags on this were “Bible,” “Jesus,” and “Christianity.” Why, WordPress? Your AI is drunk.
Below the cut to spare your RAM:
Continue reading “Last Watch Before Dawn: Volume 1, Page 5”Tag: writing
The Well Below the Valley, Episode 13: Daybreak
Dramatis Personae
(in order of appearance)
KURT Cross, private investigator who has already seen too much. Male, early 30s, New York accent.
Inspector ISKANDAR Meshkia, who still remembers how to use a sword. Male, late 30s, strong Turkish accent.
Father John WHITNEY, slayer of sacrifices and summoner of monsters. Male, early 50s, Northern English accent.
Eloise “ELLIE” Westmont, who always comes prepared. Female, mid 20s, posh British accent.
Three or more CULTISTS and residents of Whitmoor. Male or female, 30s or 40s, Northern English accents.
Sheriff Norbert OAKS, unofficially the second in command of the cult. Male, mid-40s, Northern English accent.
MARIE Campbell, not quite sacrificed. Female, early 20s, Northern English accent.
Dr. ERNEST Wilde, determined rationalist. Male, early 30s, Northern English accent.
JASMINE Indrani, staunch defender of the women’s shelter and its residents. Female, late 20s, could have a British or Indian Accented English accent.
JONATHAN Martel, butler and caretaker of the Westmont estate. Male, mid-50s, Northern English accent.
MARJANI Kaur, physician and practical optimist. Female, early 30s, could have a British or Indian Accented English accent.
CLAIRE Cooper, holy vessel. Female, late teens, Northern English accent.
Scene 1: Ext. Fields outside Whitmoor – Night
MUSIC: OPENING THEME.
The music fades into the howling of the wind over Whitmoor’s dry fields. In the distance, a copse of dead trees shake and rattle. Underneath the noise, a drone is present, steady and pervasive.
Something enormous and heavy is coming into being among those trees. A heavy footfall shakes the ground, and a dry branch snaps.
Continue reading “The Well Below the Valley, Episode 13: Daybreak”Song of the Week
Loreena McKennitt, “Between the Shadows”
Good morning and happy Indigenous People’s Day!
I am running on very little sleep, but I should have the next episode of The Well Below the Valley ready today. It’ll go up on Patreon on Wednesday. I’ll also be starting a new page of Last Watch Before Dawn this week, in which we’ll finally get some dialogue!
The audiobook of The Book of the New Moon Door is coming along. I think I can safely say that it will be out sometime in November, hopefully early. I’d love to have it ready so that it’s available for anyone who needs something to listen to during holiday travel. I’ll update you as the process goes!
I’ll be out and about this weekend, so if you’re free and in the Milwaukee area, I’d love to see you! First up is the Spooky Frog Horror Book Fair on Saturday the 18th. We’ll be at the Sheraton Milwaukee Brookfield Hotel from 11AM to 4PM. There will be horror authors as well as artists and craftspeople, free hors d’oeuvres while they last, and a live DJ set by Goth Barge. Entry is only $5. If you’re going to the protests that day, I wish you power and safety, whether or not you can find the time to stop by.
On Sunday the 19th, I’ll be at What the Hex: Dia de Muertos from noon until 5PM at Dresden Castle on Underwood, Cudahy, WI. Entry is only $3 and gets you access to the market, live performances, and workshops on magic and healing. What the Hex is always a fantastic time, so if you’ve never made it to one, I highly encourage it.
Some petitions:
Via No Business With Genocide: Stop the UAE from fueling genocide in Sudan
Via Civic Shout: Hold ICE accountable for civil rights violations
Via the National Campaign for Justice: Demand governors fight Trump’s attempts to deploy their National Guard
That’s all I’ve got for today. Take care, stay warm, and stop by again soon!
Last Watch Before Dawn: Volume 1, Page 4
I tried all those fancy brushes last page, and I honestly think I like the simpler look better: just the one brush, using cross-hatching for texture and in-between shadows. I’m interested to know your thoughts.
Here we have a big sci-fi reveal. Image below the cut:
Continue reading “Last Watch Before Dawn: Volume 1, Page 4”The Well Below the Valley, Episode 12: Sundown
Dramatis Personae
(in order of appearance)
Inspector ISKANDAR Meshkia, former Ottoman cavalry officer. Male, late 30s, strong Turkish accent.
JASMINE Indrani, practical ex-academic. Female, late 20s, could have a British or Indian Accented English accent.
KURT Cross, reluctantly courageous private eye. Male, early 30s, New York accent.
MARJANI Kaur, director and doctor of the women’s home. Female, early 30s, could have a British or Indian Accented English accent.
VIOLET, a resident of the women’s home after her house was lost in a fire. Female, 50s, Northern English accent.
BELLA, the young daughter of a women’s home resident. Female, four years old, Northern English accent.
WINIFRED, Bella’s mother and a war widow. Female, mid-30s, Northern English accent.
Dr. ERNEST Wilde, who far prefers the boring routines of his lab. Male, early 30s, Northern English accent.
JONATHAN Martel, defender of the Westmont estate and its young mistress. Male, mid-50s, Northern English accent.
Eloise “ELLIE” Westmont, who wants to keep her past and present lives separate. Female, mid 20s, posh British accent.
AURELIA Westmont, less than blissful in ignorance. Female, late teens, posh English accent.
JAMES MacDonald, refugee from the ransacked bookshop. Male, early 30s, Northern English accent.
Sheriff Norbert OAKS, cult enforcer. Male, mid-40s, Northern English accent.
Richard LESTER and Charles PICK, Whitmoor police deputies. Both male, mid-20s, Northern English accents.
Father John WHITNEY, Whitmoor cult leader. Male, early 50s, Northern English accent.
MARIE Campbell, unwilling cult sacrifice. Female, early 20s, Northern English accent.
Scene 1: Int. Whitmoor Area Women’s Home – Night
MUSIC: OPENING THEME.
The music fades out quickly, leaving the tense, empty quiet of the house. A floorboard creaks above; MARJANI and the residents are upstairs, while JASMINE waits by the front door. We can hear her breathing softly. Distant, muffled shouts indicate the activity in the town.
The loud, rapid pounding of a fist on the outside of the door breaks the quiet. JASMINE draws in a breath.
Continue reading “The Well Below the Valley, Episode 12: Sundown”Last Watch Before Dawn: Volume 1, Page 3
This page kicked my butt and adding text in Photoshop is not exactly a nightmare, but more like one of those frustrating dreams where you’re trying to do a simple task and your brain keeps generating obstacles.
I’m still working out the art style and used some fancy brushes for this one. Let me know what you think.
Below the cut to save your RAM:
Continue reading “Last Watch Before Dawn: Volume 1, Page 3”Last Watch Before Dawn: Volume 1, Page 2
I think I’ve been threatening you with this page for like two weeks now. Maybe three.
Below the cut to spare your RAM:
Continue reading “Last Watch Before Dawn: Volume 1, Page 2”The Well Below the Valley, Episode 11: Dust to Dust
Dramatis Personae
(in order of appearance)
Father John WHITNEY, leader of the Whitmoor church and all that entails. Male, early 50s, Northern English accent.
Dr. ERNEST Wilde, botanist and semi-voluntary investigator. Male, early 30s, Northern English accent.
Eloise “ELLIE” Westmont, protective older cousin. Female, mid 20s, posh British accent.
KURT Cross, veteran of the French Foreign Legion, among other things. Male, early 30s, New York accent.
Inspector ISKANDAR Meshkia, who has seen this before. Male, late 30s, strong Turkish accent.
AURELIA Westmont, sheltered heiress. Female, late teens, posh British accent.
A pair of Whitmoor CULTISTS, searching for a particular text. Both male, ages can vary, Northern English accents.
JAMES MacDonald, oblivious citizen and book enthusiast. Male, early 30s, Northern English accent.
Scene 1: Int. Whitmoor Parish Church – Day
MUSIC: OPENING THEME.
Father WHITNEY approaches the investigators at a casual pace. The floorboards creak, and his steps echo; the church is a tall, narrow building.
Continue reading “The Well Below the Valley, Episode 11: Dust to Dust”Last Watch Before Dawn: Volume 1, Page 1
So it begins!
To avoid gumming up your scrolling with a huge image, I’ll put it below the cut:
Continue reading “Last Watch Before Dawn: Volume 1, Page 1”The Well Below the Valley, Episode 10: All Who Have Ears to Hear
Dramatis Personae
(in order of appearance)
KURT Cross, actor, private investigator, and former skeptic. Male, early 30s, New York accent.
Inspector ISKANDAR Meshkia, Metropolitan police detective and raging caffeine addict. Male, late 30s, strong Turkish accent.
Dr. ERNEST Wilde, skeptic enough for the whole group. Male, early 30s, Northern English accent.
Eloise “ELLIE: Westmont, returned home at last. Female, mid 20s, posh British accent.
JASMINE Indrani, haunted by the ghost of her mentor. Female, late 20s, could have a British or Indian Accented English accent.
A Whitmoor FARMER, unwelcoming to outsiders and unphased by recent events. Male, middle aged, Northern English accent.
Constable Ben COREY, who learned not to ask questions. Male, mid 20s, Northern English accent.
MARIE Campbell, post office attendant and dreamer. Female, early 20s, Northern English accent.
Robert SANGFORD, telegraph operator and de facto postmaster. Male, early 40s, Northern English accent.
Father John WHITNEY, Whitmoor parish priest. Male, early 50s, Northern English accent.
Scene 1: Int. Westmont estate, third floor – Day
MUSIC: OPENING THEME.
KURT wakes, shaking off a dream; to represent the dream lingering, the sounds of a drone, a steady drip of water into a metal sink, and the rattle of an old radiator fade in after the music and fade out as he narrates.
Continue reading “The Well Below the Valley, Episode 10: All Who Have Ears to Hear”
Space Whales Press 